Speedway's road to the future started in 1950s

Published: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 6:07 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 11:11 p.m.

DAYTONA BEACH — Ginny Baker and her co-workers bowed their heads to pray.

"We got on our knees and prayed that we wouldn't have a rainout because we knew we wouldn't have the money to pay our people for another day," recalled Baker, 80, who was one of the first workers for NASCAR in the 1950s.

The hopes of many hinged on the rumble of car engines at Daytona International Speedway. On Feb. 22, 1959, those prayers were answered with the running of the first Daytona 500 at the new Speedway before more than 40,000 fans.

A few years earlier, the idea of a monstrous track was thought by some as impossible. And they might never have foreseen what Speedway officials are planning now: a vast entertainment complex with racing as the centerpiece.

But in the beginning, the vision and persistence of one man — Bill France Sr. — made it happen, and New Smyrna Beach residents Ginny and George Baker, who would become NASCAR's first pilot, were there to see it.

"We never dreamed things would turn out the way they did," said Ginny Baker, who worked in the finance department.

Up until the 1950s, the area's racing events took place on the beach, but development on the peninsula began to encroach on the event.

"I pointed out to the city of Daytona Beach as early as 1949 that hotel development along the beach was steadily moving south, and one day there would be no room for racing," the late France Sr. once said in an interview.

Building a racetrack wasn't an exact science.

"There was no textbook on how to build it," said Buz McKim, archivist for the NASCAR Hall of Fame and a former Daytona Beach resident. "This was like something nobody ever saw before."

The founding father of NASCAR embarked on a campaign for cash.

France first approached Lou Perini, owner of the Milwaukee Braves, and later Spike Briggs, owner of the Detroit Tigers, but both turned France down.

"France lived and breathed the work he did for the Speedway," Ginny Baker said. "He was just so dedicated."

The project didn't get off the ground until Clint Murchison, whose family owned an insurance company and would later own the Dallas Cowboys, worked out a $600,000 loan. France then set up a corporation (today's International Speedway Corp.) and sold enough stock to raise $300,000. He and his wife added $100,000 for the project.

"Money was tight, it's just nature for men to do it and not think about how much it was going to cost," Ginny Baker said.

Crews broke ground in 1957 and the big build was on, McKim said.

"It was an area-wide project, everybody was on board," he said. "They really went crazy with it."

Crews worked tirelessly from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., McKim said. The late Bill France Jr. could even be seen operating a bulldozer, Ginny Baker said.

"Everybody that worked for (France Sr.) loved him so much they wanted to do the very best they could. They would work overtime and not put it in," Ginny Baker said. "We were just doing the best we could."

Through 1958, France and his construction crew dug millions of tons of dirt to build the track with the guidance of Daytona Beach Engineer Charles Moneypenny.

The inspiration for the famed turns came from the high-banked curves of the Detroit proving grounds. McKim said France Jr. once told him people would always ask him why the banks were at 31 degrees.

"It was as high as we could stack the dirt until it stopped rolling down the hill," McKim recalled being told.

The track was finished in 1959 and the inaugural race was a thriller, a photo finish between Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp that took three days to decide.

George Baker was hired in 1960 after the Speedway was built and flew France wherever he needed to go.

"I was logging about 100 hours a month of flying," he said.

But he also served as track superintendent and general contractor, building many of the ancillary structures at the track including a tower for TV crews, restrooms and a media center.

"There's very little that I built out there now," he joked.

One structure that remains, however, is the concrete wall that encircles the 2.5-mile tri-oval track. For the first race a guardrail was all that kept cars from flying off the track. Moneypenny helped design the retaining wall, George Baker said.

"We did 200 feet a day," he said.

Like the Speedway, Baker's wall has stood the test of time -- though much of it today is covered by a SAFER Barrier ("soft wall" technology). It looks much different than it did when the original work was finished in 1959, but the Bakers know they helped get the Speedway where it is today.

<p>DAYTONA BEACH &mdash; Ginny Baker and her co-workers bowed their heads to pray. </p><p>"We got on our knees and prayed that we wouldn't have a rainout because we knew we wouldn't have the money to pay our people for another day," recalled Baker, 80, who was one of the first workers for NASCAR in the 1950s. </p><p> The hopes of many hinged on the rumble of car engines at Daytona International Speedway. On Feb. 22, 1959, those prayers were answered with the running of the first Daytona 500 at the new Speedway before more than 40,000 fans. </p><p> A few years earlier, the idea of a monstrous track was thought by some as impossible. And they might never have foreseen what Speedway officials are planning now: a vast entertainment complex with racing as the centerpiece. </p><p>But in the beginning, the vision and persistence of one man &mdash; Bill France Sr. &mdash; made it happen, and New Smyrna Beach residents Ginny and George Baker, who would become NASCAR's first pilot, were there to see it. </p><p> "We never dreamed things would turn out the way they did," said Ginny Baker, who worked in the finance department. </p><p> Up until the 1950s, the area's racing events took place on the beach, but development on the peninsula began to encroach on the event. </p><p> "I pointed out to the city of Daytona Beach as early as 1949 that hotel development along the beach was steadily moving south, and one day there would be no room for racing," the late France Sr. once said in an interview. </p><p> Building a racetrack wasn't an exact science. </p><p> "There was no textbook on how to build it," said Buz McKim, archivist for the NASCAR Hall of Fame and a former Daytona Beach resident. "This was like something nobody ever saw before." </p><p> The founding father of NASCAR embarked on a campaign for cash. </p><p> France first approached Lou Perini, owner of the Milwaukee Braves, and later Spike Briggs, owner of the Detroit Tigers, but both turned France down. </p><p> "France lived and breathed the work he did for the Speedway," Ginny Baker said. "He was just so dedicated." </p><p> The project didn't get off the ground until Clint Murchison, whose family owned an insurance company and would later own the Dallas Cowboys, worked out a $600,000 loan. France then set up a corporation (today's International Speedway Corp.) and sold enough stock to raise $300,000. He and his wife added $100,000 for the project. </p><p> "Money was tight, it's just nature for men to do it and not think about how much it was going to cost," Ginny Baker said. </p><p> Crews broke ground in 1957 and the big build was on, McKim said. </p><p> "It was an area-wide project, everybody was on board," he said. "They really went crazy with it." </p><p> Crews worked tirelessly from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., McKim said. The late Bill France Jr. could even be seen operating a bulldozer, Ginny Baker said. </p><p> "Everybody that worked for (France Sr.) loved him so much they wanted to do the very best they could. They would work overtime and not put it in," Ginny Baker said. "We were just doing the best we could." </p><p> Through 1958, France and his construction crew dug millions of tons of dirt to build the track with the guidance of Daytona Beach Engineer Charles Moneypenny. </p><p> The inspiration for the famed turns came from the high-banked curves of the Detroit proving grounds. McKim said France Jr. once told him people would always ask him why the banks were at 31 degrees. </p><p> "It was as high as we could stack the dirt until it stopped rolling down the hill," McKim recalled being told. </p><p> The track was finished in 1959 and the inaugural race was a thriller, a photo finish between Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp that took three days to decide. </p><p> George Baker was hired in 1960 after the Speedway was built and flew France wherever he needed to go. </p><p> "I was logging about 100 hours a month of flying," he said.</p><p> But he also served as track superintendent and general contractor, building many of the ancillary structures at the track including a tower for TV crews, restrooms and a media center. </p><p> "There's very little that I built out there now," he joked. </p><p> One structure that remains, however, is the concrete wall that encircles the 2.5-mile tri-oval track. For the first race a guardrail was all that kept cars from flying off the track. Moneypenny helped design the retaining wall, George Baker said. </p><p> "We did 200 feet a day," he said. </p><p> Like the Speedway, Baker's wall has stood the test of time -- though much of it today is covered by a SAFER Barrier ("soft wall" technology). It looks much different than it did when the original work was finished in 1959, but the Bakers know they helped get the Speedway where it is today. </p><p> "It's a wonderful success story," George Baker said. </p><p> "We're proud to have been a part of it," Ginny Baker said.</p>